Wylie and Slidesports looking to ‘make memories’ at Le Mans this weekend

Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship contender Ross Wylie will take on the fabled Le Mans circuit this weekend after receiving a last minute call up to race.

Ross and the Fuelcard Services/Pall-ex supported Slidesports team will be looking for a solid result on their debut. They will form part of a massive 61-car grid of identical Porsche 991 GT3 Cup cars from the UK, France as well as cars invited from any other countries. The Carrera Cup last raced at Le Mans in 2014 when the UK championship joined the French Carrera Cup and a dramatic race ensued, with a burst tyre deciding the winner on the final lap.

The Scot has not previously driven around the 8.49 miles long circuit but is looking forward to the challenge and the unique opportunity it presents. Only three of the current Carrera Cup GB drivers have previously raced around the 38-turn circuit, which means Ross will not be at such a disadvantage despite the late entry.

“It was quite a surprise,’ said Ross. “I knew I was on the reserve list but it was just a little bit last minute. I didn’t expect to get the call on Monday afternoon to come and race. It’s not the 24-hour race but it’s a dream come true. It was so short notice so I haven’t had a chance to do the usual preparations, like driving it on a simulator, but I’ve looked at a few YouTube videos.

“It’s exciting. I was going to be coming over to watch the race and now I’ll actually be racing. I’m looking forward to the whole experiences. It’s one of those circuits that very few people have raced on because the full track is closed for all but one week of the year. We’re here to have a good time and make some memories.”

It has been a long time since I raced here,” added team principal Mark Jenkins. “I was part of Le Mans when Mazda were here in the 1990s. We found out at 4pm on Monday afternoon that we had the entry. One of the IMSA Performance cars dropped out but we were third on the reserve list. We had the cars prepped and ready to go anyway so when we got the call we were able to say yes. Everything was very busy including the ferries but we made it.”

The cars will make their first track appearances on Thursday morning at 10:30 CET. Free practice two follows at 11:55 with a one-hour qualifying session taking place soon after at 15:30. The 45-minute race starts at 10:15 and will conclude only a few hours before the main 24-hour race starts at 3pm. The race will be streamed live on the Porsche website and on Eurosport UK.

Posted on 14th June 2017

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